


My Brother, My Son

by RougeSpirit1



Category: One Piece
Genre: Blindness, Portgas D. Ace Needs a Hug, Terminal Illnesses, deafness
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-15
Updated: 2020-07-15
Packaged: 2021-03-04 20:33:39
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,653
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25292467
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RougeSpirit1/pseuds/RougeSpirit1
Summary: Unwarranted hate from the Marines wasn't the only thing handed down to Ace when he was born. He knew Roger's blood had cursed him, but he didn't know it involved inheriting the same disease he had.
Comments: 3
Kudos: 61





	My Brother, My Son

**Author's Note:**

> Transition from FF.net to here. Original Publish Date: 7/4/2019

**So I had a thought so terrible that it was actually good. What if Ace was afflicted with the same illness that was going to kill Roger? Like *slaps Ace's head* This bad boy could fit so much sickness in it! How would his crew react knowing how much Ace hates him?. So here we are. Enjoy this one-shot. My Brother, My Son**

Symptom 1

It all started out as a cough during dinner. A simple cough, one that could easily be passed off as choking. Everyone laughed because considering how Ace always inhaled his food when he ate, it was about damn time.

The second time it happened, it was after training, followed fighting a bunch of weak fools who thought they could get one over on Whitebeard. Pathetic. This session lasted a little bit longer, the wheezing a little harder on the lungs, the breathing a little bit heavier. Marco was concerned. Ace just waved it off.

" I'm out of shape." Ace said. " Don't fuss over me."

" Are you sure?" Marco asked, raising a thick blonde eyebrow.

" Positive." Ace said. And that was that.

The third time it happened, Ace wasn't so lucky to have a passable cover, but he was lucky enough to be alone and in a secluded place. It happened out of the blue, a painful itch in his lungs. The feeling of oxygen being choked out of him. Then the coughing began. It came up as a dry organ hacking cough, the type that made it difficult to catch yourself with every passing round. It seemed like an eternity before he caught himself, and ended up vomiting in a bucket once it was over. He threw the bucket over board, ignoring the specks of red.

The cycle continued for weeks, coughing and vomiting away from the eyes of his crew members. Ace didn't want them to know. Ace couldn't ever let them know. He wouldn't be able to stand the pitiful gazes of the members who weren't all that acquainted with him. The ones that did know, he didn't want them to fuss either. He'd take that as a form of pity as well. And only the gods knew receiving pity for the curse he received from the devil was the last thing that Ace wanted.

Ace wasn't as discreet as he believed himself to be. Some of them caught on pretty quickly that something was amiss with the commander of the second division of the Whitebeard pirates. No one said anything though. They knew how defensive Ace could get and didn't want to incur the wrath of the Fire Fist. Yet with every slight sway, the way Ace seemed to completely zone out for pockets of time as if trapped in a state of deliriousness, the way his skin shone with unwarranted sweat and the extra breaths needed and how he rubbed his temples every so often even though he had never done that before, his crew mates...his brothers and sisters grew more and more concerned. Some were tempted to confront Ace about it, but would back down when he sent a glare their way. As if he knew what they were coming to talk to him about.

Slips of paper were passed to Marco as members slid in and out of the infirmary for their weekly checkups. Concerns about Ace. Asking him to check up on Ace more thoroughly (the freckled pirate always managed to find a loophole out of a more serious examination). Questions about whether or not they should alert Whitebeard. Those particular messages were useless. With how many times Ace tried to assassinate Whitebeard in the past (99 times to be precise) the Yonko trained himself to keep a keen eye on his most problematic son. He most likely already knew what was up with their flaming brother. Folded notes kept piling on a corner in the floor, burned, the ashes thrown in the ocean. Then it stacks up again. The process repeats again and again until Marco snaps.

" If that piece of paper is what I think it is, don't you dare." Blue and yellow flames licked about him.

Haruta shoved the paper back in his pocket, then looked at Marco, out the door and took the paper out again and forcefully shoved it in his hand before rushing out the room. Marco sighed and read the message. Direct orders from Whitebeard to see what the hell is up with Ace. This was it. The mythical zoan user stormed out of the infirmary, barking orders to find Ace immediately!

With a ship as huge as the Moby Dick, there were a multitude of nooks and crannies for Ace to comfortably squeeze into and hide before rotating his hiding spot. He lead them on a goose chase for 3 days before being caught by Jozu mid shift. The paramecia user locked Ace under his arm in his half diamond form, and slapped a pair of Sea stone shackles on his wrists so he wouldn't escape by turning into flames. Strong enough to mitigate his powers but too weak to actually drain any energy from him. Ace spat fire and screamed and protested. And oh boy did he squirm and try to wiggle out of Jozu's grasp but the pointed ends of his diamond body swiftly put an end to that after Jozu tightly squeezed Ace under his armpit.

Ace was brought on the main deck before most of his division, Marco and Whitebeard. He felt sicker than he already was, like he was being brought to stand some sort of trial.

" Do this for us my son. We are worried. Do this for me." Whitebeard said with a concerned looked in his warm eyes.

Ace sucked up to the basic procedures and BSed his way through the more invasive ones. Forcing himself to perform acceptably even though he wanted nothing more than to shrivel up into a corner, away from these prying eyes. ' They can't know. Do well. They can't know. Do well.' Ace repeated like a mantra in his head. As if repeatedly thinking that would hide the way his muscles involuntarily twitched beneath his skin and the shaking of his legs and the sun would hear his thoughts and shift just so that it could hide how much paler his skin had gotten.

In doctor mode, Marco was unforgiving, scrutinizing every single thing to make sure he missed nothing. And if he felt he made an error, he would examine you again and again until you felt compelled to pull a weapon on him to show your irritation. Ace prayed to Kami, that his mantra would make him strong enough that Marco would diagnose him with some case of the flu then berate him for being stupid and dodgy all the time and making himself worse. Then force some antibiotics down his throat, put him on bed rest and then everyone's concerns would be alleviated and they would leave him the hell alone.

Kami didn't answer his prayers.

The cuffs were removed and Ace stood up, Marco having his usual frown and Whitebeard giving an approving nod. Ace was going to be let go. Then, the oxygen was swiped out of his lungs and he was frozen by Akoji and melted by Akainu's heat all at once. He coughed and coughed, gasping for air that wasn't reaching him. Iron tasted on his tongue and red stained his teeth, dripping to the floor. Bones turned to jelly and he collapsed in a heap, muscles spazzing out of control. He didn't hear the gasps. The shouts from Marco which was probably him issuing orders and cursing Ace for faking. He heard nothing, only felt bodies around him and hands on him, touching him and moving him around. He felt sick and vomited. Red turned up in that too. He blacked out.

His eyelids were heavy, glued down but he forced them open. Everything was blurry and unfocused, his mouth was dry and his tongue was just a lump of cotton sitting in the bottom of his jaw. He felt weak, like every movement he made would sent him spiraling into unbelievable pain. The world grew clearer now, he turned his head to see IV drips stuck into him. Hydration. Antibiotics. Pain relievers. Ace noted. The pouch for pain relievers were empty.

"Send me back into unconsciousness." Ace tried to say, but it only came out as strangled garbled wheezing.

Marco stopped his scribbling and looked to his patient and said with a cold and clipped tone." I should leave you awake to suffer more for being such a complete and utter dumb ass." he sighed. " What the hell were you thinking?"

Ace tried to speak again, but no comprehensible sounds came out of his mouth. Marco sighed again and replaced the pain reliever packet.

When Ace woke up a second time, he was feeling a lot better. Relatively speaking. His entire being felt like one giant yellowed bruise, but bruises he could handle. He propped himself on his elbows before shuffling so his back was resting against the mound of pillows instead of his head. Marco came in the room and made several comments on Ace's stupidity but other than that he, his father and his siblings were relieved that Ace was doing okay. Marco made a move to ask some questions but the look on Ace's face said that 'nothing short of death would get me to answer' Marco let it be. He didn't want to be a dick and pull the ' I'm your doctor' move.

After some time, Ace was released from the med bay. He was told to keep taking his meds, get plenty of rest and not to overdo himself when training. He wasn't allowed to fight when it wasn't necessary. For a while, things were okay for Ace. He suddenly wasn't possessed by coughing spells. His muscles wouldn't twitch and he didn't feel like collapsing 24/7. Even the color returned to his skin. No one gave him pitying looks and everything seemed to be just before that first cough.

'Maybe, just maybe I was overreacting. Maybe I didn't contract that demon's curse and was being stupid for no reason.' Ace thought.

Ace thought wrong.

Symptom 2

It was in the middle of battle, an intense fight between a pirate crew that somehow managed to ambush the Whitebeard's and had put up more of a fight than was originally thought. Ace was allowed to fight. He jumped in tits out and guns-a-blazing.

He should have been nowhere near that battlefield.

He was delivering the final blow to his current opponent when he felt it. That itch. That oh so familiar itch. Ace's pupils turned to pinpricks and he panicked. 'Oh Kami. Oh no. No no no no. Not here. Not now please no'. Once again, Kami didn't listen. The oxygen was robbed from his lungs and he crumpled into a coughing fit, unable to prevent his arms from slapping his hands across his throat. Blood spurted to the ground, twice as much as the first time. His muscles spazzmed uncontrollably, sending him writhing on the ground. And the ringing. A new one. There was this god awful ringing in his ears. High pitched and painful and never ceasing. He didn't feel the Haki infused foot plant itself in his stomach, nor did he feel the dull ache that came after that foot was swiftly removed. Neither did he feel himself being hoisted away and onto the deck where he continued to writhe and cough up blood and suffer from that incessant wringing in his ears.

The curse was real. The devil's curse was real and it came to take Ace.

After the battle was done, everyone rushed aboard to see how their brother was doing. He was taken back to the med bay and he laid there shivering and sweating. The coughing had ceased but his mouth and chest were still stained red with his blood. He only jumped slightly now, but you could still see the twitches of his fingers and toes. Ace felt miserable but most importantly angry. He was angry those pirates who ambushed them. He was angry at himself for being so weak to let the sudden spell cause him to lose his guard. Most, most importantly, he was angry at Roger, that demon that ruined his life the moment he thought of having a child. Not only did he have demon's blood, making him the most wanted man in the world just for existing but also he inherited that demon's sickness too. Even two decades into death, Roger was still finding a way to make Ace's life as hellish as possible.

Hellish became an understatement following the next couple of weeks.

Ace couldn't eat. He threw everything up. Ace couldn't sleep, he'd become resistant to the effects of the pain killers even at its highest safest dosage in relations to Ace's condition. Ace couldn't this and Ace couldn't that. Ace couldn't even do the most simplest things he could do before because every time he tried to move a muscle, it would jerk in the completely opposite direction of where he intended, causing nothing but a huge mess. His body, confined to the infirmary bed was constantly wracked with a biting and snapping pain that felt he was constantly getting shot with Seastone bullets. His lungs were somehow still in place even after all his hacking, just prompting his body to make him hack even more. Everyone had to do everything for him and it was absolutely horrible. He felt weak, pathetic, useless. Just a burden on his father and brothers and sisters. They tried to console him, telling him it was okay, they didn't mind but that only made Ace feel worse.

" I DON'T WANT YOUR PITY!" Ace snapped one day, roaring at Vista.

" You're a dumb ass if you think we're pitying you. We know you hate that." Curiel said, then folding his arms as Ace looked at him with a confused expression. And that confused expression slowly turned into one realization and horror.

In his anger, Ace had failed to realize how absolutely quiet it was. Everyone was awake, and moving around but there was no sound. Then registered how he felt his mouth move and throat vibrate but no sound registered. And he watched as Curiel's mouth moved, twisted into a frown but there was so sound either. It dawned on him.

" I'm...deaf." he said, voice hollow and eyes staring emptily into the wall in the front of him. " I can't...I can't hear."

He didn't hear, or rather, could no longer hear the gasps and shrieks and " Don't joke with shit like that Ace." He had no reaction to the storm of voices rising directly on the side of him. He only stared at the wall in front him, dread intertwining itself into every fiber of his being. Deaf? Deaf? Deaf? That one word constantly replayed in his mind like a scratch record. How could he be deaf? If he was deaf, then he couldn't hear his orders. If he was deaf, he'd never again hear Izo's singing. He wouldn't hear the crickets nor the call of the sea nor the taunts of his siblings. He'd never again hear Luffy wear out his name with happy cheers. He'd never once again hear his father's powerful laugh. Ace was filled with rage.

An energy like Ace never had in the past couple of months swarmed his entire body. He erupted into flames, destroying everything, attacking blindly, just looking for something to vent his absolute fury. Pleas to stop fell on now literally deaf ears. He ran outside, kicking and screaming and fighting everybody because this wasn't fair. It just wasn't fair! HOW WAS THIS FAIR?! He survived everything the world threw at him. He survived the execution of the newborns. Survived the burning of Grey Terminal. Came out of every fight on top and proved every day to the World Government that he lived despite everything AND BECOMING SICK AND GOING DEAF WAS THE THANKS THAT HE WAS GOING TO GET?!

Ace collapsed on the ground unable to move now that adrenaline no longer fueled him, coincidentally right at Whitebeard's feet. The Yonko picked his son up and cradled him in his arms.

" What is the matter my son? Why are you attacking your sisters and brothers?" Whitebeard asked.

" I'm deaf." Ace simply said bitterly, in the event Whitebeard asked a question, not aware that he already had.

Whitebeard looked at Ace in surprise and then down at his burnt sons and daughters. They all shared the same frown as him. Whitebeard handed Ace to Marco who carried him back to the medbay. The logia fruit holder merely curled up in the corner, unresponsive to what anyone did.

Marco sighed as he closed the med bay door. He figured it was best to leave Ace alone right now. The phoenix collapsed in his own bed. He was at a total loss. He had no idea how to help Ace as he had never seen a sickness like that before. The thing was, Ace seemed to know the general idea of what it was, but refused to answer questions every time when approached. The only time Ace ever withdrew questions regarding himself is when it was affiliated with

"Roger." Marco breathed, dots finally connecting. Ace hated the man and wanted nothing to do with him. His name was forbidden on the vessel and Ace refused to acknowledge the man and everything about him. Could it be that this illness was passed down from Roger to Ace? It was a plausible theory. Marco told Whitebeard.

Whitebeard agreed with Marco, but he himself didn't know anything much about the late Pirate King. Then in passing, Vista made a joking comment, about how Garp the Hero and Gol. D. Roger were basically "frenemies" and since Garp was Ace's grandfather (more or less) they could see if Ace had a contact for Garp and ask the man himself about Roger.

His comment was taken seriously. They dug through Ace's stuff, and found the number for Garp's snail buried deep and folded as small as possible in a draw filled with shirts. It was a draw Ace never opened. Marco called the number and waited patiently.

_" Who the hell is this?! This is a private line you know! Only three people in the world have this number and I swear to Kami if you hurt-"_ Garp's rant was cut off by Marco.

" We're Ace's crew mates. We need you to tell us about as much as Roger and his sickness as you can. We are certain Ace has it. He's already gone deaf."

The line was deathly silent. _"I see."_ said Garp. His loud and brash demeanor was suddenly switched with a serious one. _"I can't speak right now, I'm about to head into a meeting. Send some representatives to Vinylux Island. I'll be there as soon as I can."_

" I appreciate your co-operation. I never expected that you'd listen to us so swiftly. We are pirates after all."

_" Ace is one of my precious grandsons. He is still my family and I'd do anything for him. Even collaborate with pirates such as yourselves."_

" I see." Marco simply said before the connection was cut.

It was to be him (Marco), Vista and Jozu who were to meet Garp at the island. They waited patiently for the Marine Hero to arrive. Whitebeard said not to be wary of Garp and draw any weapons, for he felt Garp's intent through the transponder and that it was pure and honest. The Marine warship arrived and Garp hopped off, giving instructions to his men to stay on the boat and not to attack the Whitebeards.

There were no pleasantries given.

" Tell me everything that has happened so far." Garp demanded sitting on a chair.

With a frown, the three men explained the past couple of months aboard the Moby Dick. Ace's constant coughing and twitching, his seemingly never ending fever, how he would lose time because he was so out of it. It pained them to speak this way about Ace, never before had they seen their brother so weak and vulnerable.

Silence swept in between the four men for a brief moment before Garp opened his mouth. It sounded like it alright. Though at a much more advanced version that what he witnessed in Roger. Maybe because Ace was younger when the effects kicked in so his immune system had less time to prepare. Vista asked for the whereabouts of a cure.

" There can't be a cure for a disease no one knows exists." Garp said grimly.

Three sets of eyebrows rose in surprise and confusion. Roger was very secretive about his illness, the only people who knew were Garp and the highest ranking in Roger's crew. His sickness is one that's exclusive to his family line and was passed down to the oldest child of every generation. So far, every family member who inherited it died before a doctor could get their hands on them. As a result, no doctor truly knew of its existence. You can't study and find a cure for something you don't know is real.

Shocked silence then protests. Jozu held Garp up by the collar of his shirt and spat at him to stop lying. Garp had no reaction, he knew this was going to happen. He knew where this was going to head the moment that call ended and had begun to steel himself for the inevitable.

He was going to lose another grandson.

The Marine Vice Admiral simply took Jozu's hand and yanked it off of him before dropping on the ground and landing on his feet. He bowed and apologized to the Whitebeard pirates, understanding how they must feel. They didn't want an apology. They wanted a cure.

" Even if you found a doctor willing to test on Ace, it wouldn't matter. Ace is too far gone and wouldn't survive long enough before a viable cure is made. I don't know if you pirates realize how long it takes to make a cure. There's preliminary tests, then tests then re-tests then recalculation then tests again because along the way the virus mutated and now all their information has gone to shit and they're back to square one!" Garp shouted and slammed a fist on the table, it broke to splinters.

Marco thanked Garp for his time and promised to keep him updated on Ace's condition. Garp told them to call Luffy as well, Ace's younger brother. He deserved to know what was happening to Ace. It wouldn't be good if Luffy found out through the grape vine. Marco nodded and said he'd keep that in mind.

When the three reached back to the Moby Dick, the atmosphere was filled with nervous silence. Whitebeard looked at them expectantly.

The three shook their heads.

Final Symptom

It seemed that the week following the meeting with Garp that Ace's health took a complete and utter nosedive. His muscles all but wasted away and he turned into a skeleton of what he once was before. He could no longer breathe properly and was hooked up to an oxygen machine. There were multiple IV's sticking out of his arms, pumping pain killers, nutrients and liquids for hydration into his blood stream. Ace was barely awake any more, every waking moment was filled with excruciating pain so they opted to keep him under unless necessary. When Ace was awake however, he simply kept staring into outer space. Izo liked to believe Ace was fighting and concentrating so hard on surviving that he simply tuned everything out.

They soon found out it was because Ace had lost his sight.

He didn't rage after this discovery. He didn't have the energy for it anymore. Instead he turned with his face to the wall and gave everyone the silent treatment for 2 days. He only interacted when it was time for someone to help him take a bath.

" Why...do you all...do this?" Ace asked one day to himself, unaware someone was in the room with him. " I'm...the devil's child...cursed...just why..."

_"You're our brother."_ someone traced in his hand.

There was so much arguing among the crew. Some wanted to sail and find a doctor that could help Ace. Others said that it was of no use and to just help Ace be as comfortable as possible until he passes.

" So you want Ace to die?!"

" Of course not! Why the hell would you think that!"

The once partying atmosphere among the Moby Dick shifted into one of anger, despair and fright at the fate of their brother. Whitebeard quickly rectified that.

" Quit squabbling my sons and daughters! Ace would be ashamed and angry that you are turning among yourselves over him!"

They were embarrassed at their behavior. Whitebeard sighed. He understood.

Ace didn't talk much anymore. Not that he couldn't, but rather he simply chose not to. He didn't really have anything to say to anyone anymore. He didn't really see the point in trying to strike up conversation when he couldn't fully engage. His world had once again turned dark, and now, there was no way for him to enjoy the light ever again. He was all alone in his cold dark world.

He got a message from Luffy one day. Someone had written it down for him and guided his fingers on the letters.

_Hi Ace! It's me Luffy. Whitebeard-ossan told me what's been happening. And honestly? I'm freaking out and I'm scared! I don't want you to die. So don't die okay! I'll climb on your ship and kick your ass if you die. So live Ace! I know you get lonely super quickly and you say I'm the baby. So I'm reminding you that you're not alone! You've got Whitebeard-ossan and the cool pineapple chicken guy! Our shitty Gramps tells me that Dadan thinks about us all the time to so don't forget her okay! And Sabo has your back from pirate heaven! So be strong Ace because you're never alone!_

Ace cried for the first time since this ordeal began.

The Whitebeards were scared, frightened. They all sensed that Ace was going to die soon and they simply couldn't believe it. In a matter of months, their brash, outspoken, rude, head strong, narcoleptic, cheerful, determined brother shriveled up and wasted away into a deaf, blind, broken mess. Less than half the man who he was.

"I'm...tired. So...so tired" Ace said one day, eyes, unseeing locked onto the ceiling as Marco readjusted his IV drip. " Not...scared of death but...don't want to go."

_"Then don't. Besides, you still owe me money."_ Marco traced jokingly.

Ace cracked a smile behind his oxygen mask, one of the first ones he had ever since his health took a turn for the worst. " Okay."

The next day, Ace was gone. The Mera Mera no Mi appeared in the kitchen.

They found Marco's desk completely ruined. Books and papers and vials scattered all over the ground as if someone was wildly searching in the dark the for something. They found Ace slumped over,half hanging off the bed with his IV's all pulled out. There was blood on his smiling mouth and chest. Beneath him was pinned a pen loosely dangling between Ace's cold fingers and a slip of paper smeared with blood and tears. Marco adjusted Ace back on the bed and looked at what he wrote.

In horrid, scratched letters, flying all over the paper, (which happened to be some very important medical records Marco needed ) and some cutting off at the edges were the words: _Thank you for giving me a family that loves me._


End file.
